Western Religions

Introduction

Judaism, Islam and Christianity are three prominent western religions. Each one of these has key issues confronting their spiritual values. This paper will review these major concerns and identify resolutions. First, I will review racism inside Israel and the Jewish faith. Secondly, I will discuss the Catholic Priest scandal and its impact upon the Church. Finally, I will review terrorism and Islam.

Judaism

Israel's war of Palestine has received extensive media coverage throughout the world. This is seen as a battle of faiths between Jews and Muslims who are fighting for control of land. Unfortunately, innocent people and children have been killed. Phyllis Bennis a long time activist around Middle East issues claims "The main concern associated with the violence is the racist character of Israel's occupation of Gaza and the West Bank." (Racism inside Israel, Max Elbaum) This was created in the 19th century when a political movement (Zionism) supported a home land for Jewish people. This state was developed to protect Jews and give them privileges over non-Jews. Palestinians see the occupation of their land as illegal. According to Adalah (Arab rights organization) there are "20 laws that specifically provide unequal rights and obligations based on what the Israelis call nationality. Israelis must carry a card which identifies them as a Jew, a Muslim, or a Christian." They also claim that "All non-Jews are second class citizens." A resolution would be to transform Israel from its Zionism that privileges Jews to a democratic state.

Christianity

The Roman Catholic Church has been under extreme scrutiny and media attention during the 1990's. Child sexual abuse allegations were made against clergy/priests who were in the care of children throughout various seminaries, schools and orphanages. The John Jay Report (commissioned by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops) data identified accusations against 4,392 priests in the USA, about 4% of all priests had been involved in child abuse (wikipedia.com). High ranking clergy of the Catholic Church was also criticized for covering up abuse cases. This has lead to an outcry from the general public who see the discipline of celibacy in priesthood as dangerous. They claim that adults with sexual feelings aimed towards children can easily enter into priesthood due to unmarried status. While the debate will continue over the role of celibacy in the Catholic Church will continue it is obvious that sexual immortality is wrong. The behavior of a minority of priests does not mean all priests are corrupt, and does not mean that the Catholic Church does not have a valid existence. However, as with any other organizations it needs leadership that shows integrity and honesty. A resolution would be for the Catholic Church to show due diligence during their selection process and have support systems in place for priests.

Islam

President Bush reacting to a bomb plot over the Atlantic remarked, "The